Self contained cooling tube for use of drinking a beverage

ABSTRACT

A self-contained cooling tube is described that lowers the temperature of a beverage as it is drawn through the cooling tube by a user. The cooling tube includes an inner tubular member and an outer tubular member composed of a plastic material. A cooling material, having suitable characteristics to cool the temperature of a beverage, is disposed within an interior space bounded by the walls of the inner tubular member and the outer tubular member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is based on, and claims priority from, U.S.Provisional Patent No. 60/750,150 filed Dec. 15, 2005, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to freezable cooling devices forbeverages. More particularly, the present invention relates to aself-contained cooling device that cools the temperature of the liquidbeverage as it is drawn through the device by the user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Ice or similar materials can be placed into a beverage to maintain thebeverage at a cold temperature once it is removed from a refrigerationunit. However, there are many problems associated with this approach.For example, ice or similar material only lasts for relatively shortperiods of time and must be continuously replenished. The addition ofice can dilute the beverage with meltwater and can alter the taste ofthe beverage. Furthermore, the beverage can be contaminated by the waterused to make the ice.

The use of chilled or frosted beverage containers to cool liquidbeverages is also fraught with drawbacks. Many glass and ceramiccontainers are not designed to withstand freezer temperatures andtherefore can break inside the freezer.

To overcome the problems described above and others, a cooling methodand system are required for maintaining the desired cooling effect on abeverage without causing the beverage to become diluted with meltwater.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a self-contained cooling tube thatcools a beverage as it is consumed by a user. In an embodiment, thecooling tube includes an inner tubular member and an outer tubularmember, both of which are composed of plastic or similar material. Theouter tubular member is disposed around the inner tubular member, and acooling material is disposed within an interior space bounded by thewalls of the inner and outer tubular members. The cooling material iscomprised of water, gel or another suitable freezable substance.

The cooling tube can be utilized with any type or size of beveragecontainer, including glasses, mugs, cups, or the like. Between uses, thecooling tube is placed into a freezer or similar appliance to chill thecooling material. When the cooling tube is ready to be used, the userinserts the cooling tube into a beverage container. As the beverage inthe container is drawn through the cooling tube by the user, thebeverage is cooled by the cooling material disposed between the innerand outer tubular members.

Since the cooling material is sealed from the beverage, the beverage isnot contaminated by the cooling material. For example, since no icedeposit escapes from the cooling material into the beverage, the coolingtube does not cause the beverage to become diluted by meltwater orotherwise contaminated from impurities in the ice or in other coolingmaterial.

The above described and many other features of the present inventionwill become apparent, as the present invention becomes better understoodby reference to the following detailed description when considered inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The present invention is illustrated in the figure(s) of theaccompanying drawing(s), which are meant to be exemplary and notlimiting, in which like references indicate identical or functionallysimilar elements, additionally in which the leftmost digit(s) of areference number identifies the drawing in which the reference numberfirst appears, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side elevational view of a cooling tube inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an end view of a cooling tube in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a cooling tube disposed within a container inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of embodiments of the present invention,reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereofand in which is shown by way of illustration a number of specificembodiments in which the present invention can be practiced. It is to beunderstood that other embodiments can be utilized and structural changescan be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a side elevational view of a self-contained coolingtube 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.Cooling tube 100 comprises an inner tubular member 120 and an outertubular member 110. The outer tubular member 110 has a larger diameterthan the inner tubular member 120, and is disposed around the innertubular member 120.

The inner tubular member 120 forms a hollow passageway having a firstopening 122 and a second opening 124. To operate the cooling tube 100, auser would apply suction to cause a beverage to flow through thepassageway represented by inner tubular member 120. Although coolingtube 100 is described herein to cause a liquid beverage to flow throughthe passageway represented by the inner tubular member 120, cooling tube100 can also be used to cause other gaseous, liquid and/or solidsubstances to flow through the inner tubular member 120.

The inner tubular member 120 and the outer tubular member 110 arecomposed of a plastic material or another material having similarcharacteristics. In an embodiment, the inner tubular member 120, outertubular member 110, or both are plastic drinking straws. The innertubular member 120 and outer tubular member 110 are not limited to anyparticular shape, size or color. The inner tubular member 120 and outertubular member 110 as shown in FIG. 1 are substantially coextensive.

FIG. 2 illustrates an end view of cooling tube 100 in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. The outer tubular member 110 isdisposed around the inner tubular member 120 as to provide an interiorspace 214. The interior space 214 is bounded by the walls of innertubular member 120 and outer tubular member 110, and is filled with acooling material. While water can be used as the cooling material, othersuitable substances that have superior cold retention properties can beused, such as a refrigerant gel. Accordingly, the cooling materialcontains suitable characteristics to cool the temperature of a liquidbeverage, or the like, as the beverage flows through the inner tubularmember 120. In an embodiment, the cooling material is inserted into theinterior space 214, and the cooling tube 100 is placed in a freezer, orsimilar appliance, to chill the cooling material to a desiredtemperature. As the beverage is drawn through the inner tubular member120, the beverage is cooled by the cooling material.

The interior space 214 is completely sealed at both ends of the innertubular member 120 and outer tubular member 110 so as to prevent leakageof meltwater from a water-based cooling material as well as anycontamination or impurities from the cooling material into the beverage.

FIG. 3 illustrates cooling tube 100 disposed within a container 340 inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Morespecifically, cooling tube 100 is immersed into a liquid beverage 342,which is contained in a open container 340. The cooling tube can beutilized with any type or size of container 340, including glasses,mugs, cups, cans, bottles, or the like. As a user applies suction to theopen end (e.g., first opening 122 or second opening 124) of the innertubular member 120, thus causing the liquid to pass upward through thecooling tube 100, the temperature of the rising liquid is cooled by thecooling material in the interior space 214.

Notably, the figures and examples above are not meant to limit the scopeof the present invention to a single embodiment, but other embodimentsare possible by way of interchange of some or all of the described orillustrated elements. Moreover, where certain elements of the presentinvention can be partially or fully implemented using known components,only those portions of such known components that are necessary for anunderstanding of the present invention are described, and detaileddescriptions of other portions of such known components are omitted soas not to obscure the invention. In the present specification, anembodiment showing a singular component should not necessarily belimited to other embodiments including a plurality of the samecomponent, and vice-versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise herein. Itis to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is forthe purpose of description and not of limitation, such that theterminology or phraseology of the present specification is to beinterpreted by the skilled artisan in light of the teachings andguidance presented herein, in combination with the knowledge of oneskilled in the relevant art(s). Moreover, it is not intended for anyterm in the specification or claims to be ascribed an uncommon orspecial meaning unless explicitly set forth as such. Further, thepresent invention encompasses present and future known equivalents tothe known components referred to herein by way of illustration.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it should be understood that they have been presented by way ofexample, and not limitation. It would be apparent to one skilled in therelevant art(s) that various changes in form and detail could be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any ofthe above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only inaccordance with the following claims and their equivalents

1. A beverage cooling tube, comprising: an inner tube member having afirst opening and a second opening; an outer tubular member having alarger diameter than the inner tubular member, wherein the outer tubularmember is disposed around the inner tubular member so as to form aninterior space therebetween; and a cooling material disposed within theinterior space.
 2. The beverage cooling tube of claim 1, wherein theinner tubular member comprises a plastic straw.
 3. The beverage coolingtube of claim 1, wherein the outer tubular member has an exteriorsurface with a colored pattern.
 4. The beverage cooling tube of claim 1,wherein the cooling material comprises water.
 5. The beverage coolingtube of claim 1, wherein the cooling material comprises a gel.